Bengals CB Dax Hill Not Happy About Another Position Change, but He'll Never Say It

For the Cincinnati Bengals, maybe the only thing more valuable than Dax Hill’s versatility is his consistency.

With starting slot cornerback Jalen Davis placed on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury, the Bengals are moving Hill yet again.

Hill seemed to have finally found a home at outside corner, but the loss of Davis and muted confidence in Josh Newton forced the coaching staff to make the decision to move the Hill again.

“There was no conversation,” he said. “They said, ‘You do this.’ And that’s what I’m gonna do.”

That’s what he’s always said when the team has told him he’s moving.

Does he like it? Of course not. It would be impossible to come to any other conclusion listening to him talk about it every single year.

Bengals DB Dax Hill Looking for Stability, Not Respect

Why hasn’t he pushed back?

“I don't know what my career is gonna look like, so I don't wanna have a bad rap for my name, simple as that,” he said.

Plus doing what’s best for the team isn’t just a catchphrase in football. It’s a mantra, and Hill has repeated it ad nauseum since arriving as a first-round pick and heir apparent to safety Jessie Bates in 2022.

Hill played sparingly as a rookie, logging 71 snaps in the slot, 17 at outside corner and 17 at free safety.

In 2023 after Bates signed with the Atlanta Falcons, Hill moved around, playing 605 snaps at free safety, 230 as a box safety, 187 in the slot and 30 outside.

In 2024, the coaches shifted him to outside corner, where he logged 203 of his 282 snaps there before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in Week 5.

Last year, he began the year as the slot corner before making the switch after the bye week. He ended the season with near equal numbers, taking 409 snaps at outside corner and 366 in the slot.

He obviously prefers outside corner, and he wants to stay there because while he feels as though that’s where he’s best, he knows he still has improvement to make after not getting a chance to settle in at that spot.

“I feel like people know what I can do, and I've shown that,” he said “I just want to continue to grow in that. So there's a lot of things that I feel like I still need to work on.”

The Bengals aren’t unaware of Hill’s feelings, nor are they blind to how difficult the constant jostling around the depth chart has been.

Defensive coordinator Al Golden praised not only Hill’s ability and versatility, but his demeanor in the face of an unpopular mandate.

“I think he’s a phenomenal person,” Golden said. “He’s unselfish. We really didn’t have any intention of putting him back inside, but every season unfolds in a different way.

“We pressed him into that duty during the (Pittsburgh) game, and he responded,” Golden added. “Because he’s tough inside. It’s not too big for him. I’m really impressed with him, his recall, his knowledge. I can’t say enough good things about Dax Hill.”

Fellow cornerback DJ Turner said Hill doesn’t get enough respect for playing well in so many different roles.

Hill shrugged off that comment.

“I'm not looking for respect at this point,” he said. “I'm just here doing my thing and being the best teammate I can.”

The Bengals will need Hill’s recall and talent that Golden praised to be at a high level Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose best receiver, Parker Washington, has run nearly half of his routes out of the slot.

Washington leads the Jaguars in receptions (15), targets (23) and receiving yards (221), and he is tied for the lead with two receiving touchdowns.

“I’m excited for the moment,” Hill said. “Every time I got out there, it’s me versus me. I’m excited for the matchup. I’m excited for guarding whoever. I’m gonna be ready for it.

“I’m gonna be ready regardless of wherever I’ll be at, inside or outside,” he added. “That’s something I know I’ll be prepared for. If that’s what it’s going to be for the rest of my career, I feel like it’s another opportunity for me to grow and not limit my mindset to where I’m only playing one position.”

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